"After a prolonged drought of three years, we finally experienced some light rains a month ago. I immediately started working on the farm because I was so excited about it. I've been compelled to pay exorbitant prices for food from the shops for the past three years. Due to a lack of funds to purchase food, I occasionally went to bed hungry. When I got my transfer, I used a sizable portion of about $20 to get the farm ready for planting. To prepare the farm I had to cut down the dense bushes, dig up the soil that had become hard, and plant the seeds. After losing my only source of income due to the effects of the drought, I was eager to start working on the farm again. Unfortunately, after two weeks, the rains stop, and the crops I planted all withered from a lack of water. I could do nothing but watch as my considerable investment in cultivating the crops was wasted. In addition to using the money to till my two acres of land, I also had to spend $5 on medicine because I got sick. I purchased food, particularly fruits, to strengthen my immunity after getting better from my illness with the $5 that was left over."

"I have been making a living by selling jembes for the past twenty years. I made enough money before the drought hit to take care of my family's needs as well as my own. When the drought started three years ago, the situation drastically changed. Due to the drought's uncertainties, my customers no longer purchase the jembes. My business has been severely impacted, and I am now unable to meet my own needs. So when I got my second transfer, I used a sizable portion of it to stock up on food. I went hungry before getting the transfers because I couldn't afford to buy food. I used the remaining $10 to pay a debt I owed my friend in addition to purchasing food. In the past, when I got sick, I was unable to afford the medicines the doctor had prescribed. My friend helped me out by lending me the cash and purchasing the medication. I'm glad that the assistance I received from him helped me feel better after a few days."

"Upon receiving my second transfer, I thought of prioritizing the school fees of my son who had gotten admission to college. I, therefore, used the entire second transfer of $550 to enrol my son in a medical college to study clinical medicine. Seeing my son in college gives me joy and happiness because would not have been easy without the financial aid from GiveDirectly. I am a food vendor in the village and my husband is a security guard in the township. Together, we have five children. I am contented and happy with the support that uplifted our living standards and gave us hope for a better tomorrow."

"When I withdraw my money I was able to buy additional medicine for my drugs store that I opened in my village."

"My life has greatly improved as I have been recieving Givedrectly transfers. I am feeling happy as I have had a chance to add afew more clothes for myself as I had 20 pieces of clothing before. I spent $1.9 from 4th transfer and $1.6 from the 5th transfer on clothes. I am also glad that I was able to help my family with accessing food for the past three months. My father is our breadwinner and his finances have been spent on paying school fees of $60 monthly for my 4 siblings and this means that he is unable to buy food. I was able to help with food purchases from my transfer by spending $1.2 from my fourth transfer, $1.3 from my fifth transfer and $2 from my sixth transfer on food. I was also hoping to add an animal to my animals and so I spent $2.6 from my sixth transfer on a goat.I have also not been fairing on well due to a stomach complication that arose a while back so I spent $2 on pain medicine for this issue."

"Our biggest struggle is our health. We mostly struggle with malaria in our household. We have 3 children who are epileptic and somehow that makes them prone to malaria. At the beginning of the money and towards the end they are mostly sick. This makes us focus on caring for them and not going out to source money. We end up being food insecure and yet we need food for them to get better after taking medicine, which we don't often afford because we have money to buy."

"I used some of the last transfer to pay the person that's building my house, and I also used the balance money to buy medicine for my coca farm."

"Working as a mason in my area is challenging because house construction projects rarely come by. In a month, I can work at most five days, making a collective income of at most KES 5,000. Budgeting this money to meet monthly household expenses is the greatest nightmare given the expensive living costs. As a countermeasure against completely running out of money, I usually save KES 1,000 per month through a Sacco to help obtain ready funds in times of emergencies. I upheld this norm by depositing the amount into my account from the cash transfer. Also, I used KES 1,000 to supplement some cash I had saved for my son's admission charges to an integrated medicine school in September. I am glad he peacefully started college this month courtesy of the cash transfer. Lastly, since my household had run out of food the previous day, I used the remaining amount on maize flour."

"For the past three years, I have been suffering from tuberculosis. This condition requires me to visit the hospital after every two weeks for check-ups and follow-through by the doctor. By the time I received the transfer, my appointment date was almost approaching and I did not have enough money to visit the medical facility, which is located in Mariakani. So, I used KES 800 from the transfer to take care of the transport to and from the hospital. I supplemented the remaining funds with some savings I had to pay for the medication. I am glad my health is progressing well through the medicine and I have not faced any complications since."

"Ever since I got married 20 years ago, I have not had the chance of owning proper and modern bedding. I spent KES 15,000 to purchase proper bedding for myself. Previously, I was using a traditional thread bed and a mat which requires constant repair and is not comfortable. Also, I boosted my poultry farming by purchasing their feeds and medicine. With the remaining amount, I bought sufficient food since I am still sick and no longer do the charcoal burning that I was doing."